TurboID-charging discovery of plant pathogen virulence and host resistance mechanisms

Many pathogenic microbes inject virulence proteins (called effectors) into the host cell's cytosol to alter host processes to their advantage. To date, it is very challenging to observe these effector-host interactor pairs in action. Doing so is critical to understanding mechanisms as well as effectors and targets to combat pathogens in plants and animals, including humans. The EU-funded Turbo-MPMI-Discovery project is developing a highly sensitive and specific method to identify effector-host interactor pairs. The team will use it to study a fungus that confers immune suppression to its host mustard plant and to identify intracellular effector receptors for effectors related to pathogens from three different taxonomic kingdoms. The insight will accelerate discovery in plant-microbe interactions with important implications for feeding a growing population in the face of climate change.